Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

This article is about the 1981 series. For the 2021 series, seeSpidey and His Amazing Friends.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friendsis a 1981–1983 Americananimated television seriesproduced byMarvel Productions,considered to be a crossover series connected to the 1981Spider-Manseries.The show stars already-establishedMarvel ComicscharactersSpider-ManandIceman,along with an original character,Firestar.As a trio called the Spider-Friends, they fight against various villains of the Marvel Universe.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Genre	Superhero Action Adventure
Created by	Stan Lee
Based on	Spider-Man by Stan Lee Steve Ditko
Directed by	Jaxon Bedingfield
Voices of	Dan Gilvezan Frank Welker Kathy Garver June Foray
Narrated by	Dick Tufeld (season 1) Stan Lee (seasons 2–3)
Composer	Johnny Douglas
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No.of seasons	3
No.of episodes	24
Production
Executive producers	David H. DePatie Lee Gunther
Producer	Dennis Marks
Running time	25 minutes
Production company	Marvel Productions
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 12, 1981(1981-09-12)– November 5, 1983(1983-11-05)
Related
Spider-Man(1981 TV series) Spider-Man(1994 TV series)

Production

The series was an attempt by NBC to replicate some of the success ABC enjoyed with theSuper Friendsfranchise.The makers of the show originally intended the stars to be Spider-Man, Iceman, and theHuman Torch.However, legal issues about the rights to the Human Torch character (which had also plagued Marvel once before for the1978Fantastic Fourcartoon) led to the Human Torch being replaced by a new character, Firestar, who had similar powers, but was a mutant like Iceman. Due to Firestar's popularity with fans, she has since become a part of the mainstream Marvel Universe. In pre-production, Firestar's codename changed frequently; the unused names include Firefly, Starblaze, and Heatwave.

Marvel Comics maintained a high level of creative control over the series, withStan Lee(co-creator of both Spider-Man and Iceman) working with the screenwriters and involving himself in the casting and animation.

Some of the sound effects used in the series originated from Universal Television'sBattlestar GalacticaandBuck Rogers in the 25th Century.Adding Ms. Lion, a pet, as a character was another attempt to emulate theSuper Friends(specifically the charactersWonder DogandGleek).

Firestar actressKathy Garverrecalled that though thestoryboardsfor each episode were completed before the voices were recorded for it, "... we really just worked from script. We'd do a roundtable to get the feeling of how the show was going, and then we would record".

Broadcast schedule

Originally broadcast on NBC as aSaturday morning cartoon,the series ran first-run original episodes for three seasons, from 1981 to 1983, then aired repeats for an additional two years (from 1984 to 1986). Alongsidethe 1981Spider-Mananimated series,Amazing Friendswas later re-aired in the late 1980s as part of the 90-minuteMarvel Action Universe,a syndicated series that was used as a platform for old and new Marvel-produced animated fare (the newer programming featuredRoboCop: The Animated Series,Dino-Ridersand on occasionX-Men: Pryde of the X-Men,which was apilotfor a potentialX-Menanimated series). Mihahn andToei Animationcontributed some of the animation for this series.

Season changes

During the first season, each episode contained acold open,which was and remains unusual for a children's cartoon. When the same episodes were re-aired later in the series' run, these teaser sequences were edited to fit after the titles and episode card. Still, the original sequence infrequently showed up on NBC's re-airings. Stan Lee did not originally narrate the episodes from this season.

In the second season, the show aired along with a newly producedHulkanimated series asThe Incredible Hulk and the Amazing Spider-Man.The two shows shared one intro which showcased the new title. In place of the cold opens from the first season, Marvel Productions created 12-second previews aired immediately preceding the episodes. Stan Lee began narrating the episodes in the second season. Marvel Productions also added narrations by Lee to the first-season episodes at this time to give the series cohesion. Neither first nor second season narrations appear on the current masters, and they have not aired since the NBC airings (as seen on the Stan Lee narration list at Spider-Friends.com).

For the third season, the characters' billing was reversed and the show was called,The Amazing Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk.It remained that way for most of the remaining years. NBC did air the show individually in mid-season (post 1986) after it was not initially announced for their fall schedule. Only some of the Stan Lee narrations for the third season are on the current masters. The missing narrations have not aired since the NBC airings.

Storyline

Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Bobby Drake (Iceman), and Angelica Jones (Firestar) are all college students at Empire State University. After working together to defeat theBeetleand recovering the "Power Booster" he stole from Tony Stark (a.k.a.Iron Man) the trio decide to team-up permanently as the "Spider-Friends". They live together in Peter'saunt's home with her and a pet dog named Ms. Lion, aLhasa Apsowho was adopted by Firestar. Together, the superheroes battle various supervillains.

Some stories featured team-ups with other superheroes including but not limited toCaptain America,Thor,Sunfire,and the mid-1970sX-Men.

Characters

Main article:List of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends characters

Original characters

A number of characters in the series were original characters that did not appear in the comics prior to the premiere of the series:

Firestar

Main article:Firestar (Marvel Comics character)

One of the series' main characters, Firestar was created specifically for this series when theHuman Torchwas unavailable (due to licensing issues). The original plan was for Spider-Man to have fire and ice based teammates, so Angelica Jones/Firestar was created. Her pre-production names includedHeatwave,Firefly,(both having already been names ofDC Comicsvillains) andStarblaze.

Firestar did not appear inMarvel's mainstream comic book universeuntilUncanny X-Men#193 (May 1985). She appears as a member of theHellions,a group of teenagemutantswho functioned as rivals to theNew Mutants(a similar group under the tutelage ofCharles Xavier). After leaving the Hellions, Firestar becomes a founding member of theNew Warriorsand later serves as a distinguished member of theAvengersalong with her fellow New Warrior, Justice. She is currently a member of theX-Men.

Hiawatha Smith

Hiawatha Smith is a college professor at the Spider-Friends' university. He is the son of a heroicNative Americanchief who fought againstthe AxisduringWorld War II.

Hiawatha Smith's home is adorned with decorations from various cultures including Hindu and native African tribes. Producer and story editorDennis Markscreated the character and admits to basing him onIndiana Jones.

Smith's father passed down to his son the mystic knowledge of their people and a map leading to a vastNazitreasure of wealth and advanced technology sought by theRed Skull.Smith often employs a boomerang in battle. He possesses a supernatural ability to communicate with animals.

Lightwave

Iceman and his sister Lightwave

Lightwave'sreal name isAurora Dante.Like her older half-brother Bobby Drake (a.k.a. the superhero Iceman), Lightwave is a mutant. She can manipulate and control light. Her other light-based powers include laser blasts, photonic force fields and solid light pressor beams. She can also transform herself into light; in such a form, she is able to exist in the vacuum of outer space.

Lightwave's only appearance was in "Save the Guardstar", the final episode of the 1980s cartoon. She is voiced byAnnie Lockhart.Bobby Drake explains that they share the same mother.

An agent ofS.H.I.E.L.D.,Lightwave is considered a traitor, due tomind controlby rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Buzz Mason. Mason induces Lightwave to steal assorted devices to create a "quantum enhancer" which would increase her powers 1,000 times. With such power, Lightwave would be able to control the Guardstarsatellitewhich orbits the Earth and controls all defense systems and communications systems for the United States. Mason expects world conquest since he controls Lightwave.

Iceman, Firestar, and Spider-Man attempt to stop Lightwave. However, she is powerful enough to defeat them. Aboard a space vessel, Buzz Mason forces Iceman into outer space, dooming Iceman if he remains there for long. Spider-Man convinces Lightwave to realize that the half-brother she loves is in mortal danger. Her reaction breaks Mason's control over her, and she saves Iceman and disables Mason long enough for Spider-Man to subdue him.

Presumably, with Mason's role realized, S.H.I.E.L.D. restores Lightwave's good standing. As this is Lightwave's only appearance, her fate is unknown.

Videoman

Videomanis an intangibletwo-dimensionalbeing withlightning bolt-shapedhornsthat is mostly composed of electronic data gleaned from avideo arcade.Videoman makes three appearances in the series where there are two versions of him.

As a villain

In Season 1, Videoman first appeared as an angularhumanoidenergy construct created byElectro.Its abilities include moving through and manipulating electronic circuits and projecting rectangular pulses of energy. Videoman is used by Electro to suck in and entrap Spider-Man, Flash Thompson, Firestar and Iceman into a video game display where Electro attempts to destroy the four. However, Flash is able to save himself and the others by escaping through the monitor and into Electro's electronic components to save the others.

This first villainous version of Videoman makes one other appearance in Season 2's "Origin of Ice-Man", with the additional abilities of bringing video game characters to life and draining the unique bio-energy of mutants, temporarily suppressing Iceman's powers and weakening Firestar, as well as being able to emulate their powers for its own use. This time, Videoman is defeated when the Spider-Friends trick it and its video game minions into attacking one another.

As a superhero

In the Season 3 episode "The Education of a Superhero", nerdyFrancis Byteis an avidvideo gameplayer who is especially engrossed into gaining the high score on a game called Zellman Comman at the local arcade. The villain Gamesman sends a hypnotic signal that entrances over 300,000 people in the city. This does not affect Francis' girlfriend Louise, Spider-Man, and Firestar, nor does the signal affect Francis' mind, which is distracted from entrancement by Louise and the game. Louise walks away from Francis, then also gets affected and hypnotized after having her pleas disregarded by Francis. He (unbeknownst to any others) plays the arcade machine so rigorously that it and other arcade machines (most of which are emitting the hypnotic waves) explode. The explosion somehow transforms Francis into Videoman.

Francis discovers that he can become his new blue and white, red-eyed alter-ego Videoman at will. However, he is completely inexperienced with his handling of such powerful abilities. He tries to help the trio (which has awakened Iceman from his trance) against a hypnotized mob, but they repel his offers due to his inexperience. He then tries to save Louise from the Gamesman, but he is easily blackmailed into manipulating a military communications satellite system in return for Louise's freedom, an offer that is then reneged upon by the Gamesman. Enraged at the trickery, Videoman helps Spider-Man and the others free Louise and also reverses his stoppage of the military computer. After the Gamesman is defeated, Francis accepts an invitation to join theX-Men,while Louise accepts him and his abilities.

Videomanmade a cameo appearance in the 2023 filmSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.He is depicted as a prisoner of Miguel O'Hara's Spider-Society among other universe-displaced villains.

Cast

See also:List of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends characters

Credited cast

• Hans Conried-Chameleon(in "7 Little Superheroes" )
• Jerry Dexter-Sunfire(in "Sunfire" )
• George DiCenzo-Captain America(in "7 Little Superheroes" and "Pawns of the Kingpin" ), Lance Macho
• Alan Dinehart - Boris (in "The Fantastic Mr. Frump" ), Sam Blockbuster (in "Spidey Goes Hollywood" ), Helicopter Pilot (in "Triumph of the Green Goblin" ), Norman Osborn's Pilot (in "Triumph of the Green Goblin" ), Police Officer #2 (in "Triumph of the Green Goblin" ), Thief #1 (in "Triumph of the Green Goblin" ), Security Guard #1 (in "The Crime of All Centuries" )
• Walker Edmiston-Kingpin(in "Pawns of the Kingpin" )
• Michael Evans- Professor Wells
• Al Fann -Swarm(in "Swarm" )
• June Foray-Aunt May,Crime Computer, Judy
• Kathy Garver-Firestar/Angelica Jones,Sally,Storm(in "The X-Men Adventure" )
• Dan Gilvezan-Spider-Man/Peter Parker,Zoltan Amadeus/The Arachnoid (in "Attack of the Arachnoid" ), Biker Gang Leader (in "The Crime of All Centuries" )
• John Haymer- Skelton (in "The Crime of All Centuries" ), Security Guard #2 (in "The Crime of All Centuries" )
• Sally Julian - Mona Osborn (in "Triumph of the Green Goblin" ), Jungle Girl (in "Triumph of the Green Goblin" )
• Annie Lockhart- Honey Dove,Storm(in "A Firestar is Born" )
• Keye Luke- Sunfire's Uncle Genju (in "Sunfire" )
• Dennis Marks-Dr. Faustus(in "Pawns of the Kingpin" ),Green Goblin/Norman Osborn(in "Triumph of the Green Goblin" ), Police Officer #1 (in "Triumph of the Green Goblin" ), Thief #2 (in "Triumph of the Green Goblin" ), Cyberiad/Nathan Price (in "The X-Men Adventure" )
• Alan Melvin-Electro(in "Videoman" )
• Shepard Menkin-Doctor Doom(in "The Fantastic Mr. Frump" )
• John Stephenson-Colossus(in "The X-Men Adventure" ), Eric the Viking (in "The Vengeance of Loki" ),Loki(in "The Vengeance of Loki" ),Modred the Mystic(in "Knights and Demons" ),Shocker(in "Along Came Spidey" ),Surtur(in "The Vengeance of Loki" ),Thunderbird(in "The X-Men Adventure" ),Ymir(in "The Vengeance of Loki" )
• Janet Waldo-Shanna the She-Devil(in "7 Little Superheroes" ), Zerona (in "The Vengeance of Loki" )
• Frank Welker-Iceman/Bobby Drake,Ms. Lion,Flash Thompson,Matt Murdock(in "Attack of the Arachnoid" ), Mr. Jones (in "A Firestar is Born" ),Uncle Ben(in "Along Came Spidey" )
• William Woodson-Doctor Strange(in "7 Little Superheroes" ),Sub-Mariner(in "7 Little Superheroes" ),J. Jonah Jameson(in "Spider-Man Unmasked!" )
• Alan Young- Mr. Frump (in "The Fantastic Mr. Frump" )

Notable guest stars

• Michael Ansara- Hiawatha Smith (in "The Quest of the Red Skull" )
• Marlene Aragon - Lightwave (in "Mission: Save the Guardstar" )
• Michael Bell- Ariel and Bartow's father (in "Spidey Meets the Girl of Tomorrow" ),Doctor Octopus(in "Spidey Meets the Girl of Tomorrow" )
• Bob Bergen- Bartow (in "Spidey Meets the Girl of Tomorrow" )
• Susan Blu- Louise (in "The Education of a Superhero" ), Monica (in "Attack of the Arachnoid" )
• William Callaway-Angel(in "A Fire-Star is Born" ),Wolverine(in "A Firestar is Born" )
• Cathy Cavadini- Ariel (in "Spidey Meets the Girl of Tomorrow" )
• Christopher Collins-Sandman(in "Spider-Man Unmasked!" ),Beetle(in "The Origin of the Spider-Friends" )
• Peter Cullen-Hulk/Dr. Bruce Banner(in "Spidey Goes Hollywood" ),Mysterio(in "Spidey Goes Hollywood" ),Red Skull(in "The Quest of the Red Skull" )
• Jeff Doucette-Scorpion(in "Attack of the Arachnoid" )
• Ron Feinberg-Frankenstein's Monster(in "The Transylvanian Connection" )
• Stanley Jones-Professor X,Cyclops(in "A Firestar is Born" ), Dean Wilmer (in "A Firestar is Born" ),Dracula(in "The Transylvanian Connection" ),Nightcrawler(in "The X-Men Adventure" )
• Harvey Korman-Black Knight(in "Knights and Demons" )
• Jennifer Kyle -Sprite/Kitty Pryde(in "The X-Men Adventure" )
• David Landsberg- Videoman/Francis Byte (in "The Education of a Superhero" )
• William Marshall-Juggernaut(in "A Firestar is Born" ),Tony Stark(in "The Origin of the Spider-Friends" )
• Vic Perrin-Thor(in "The Vengeance of Loki!" ), Zerona's Soldier (in "The Vengeance of Loki!" ), Burglar (in "Along Came Spidey" )
• Robert Ridgely-Kraven the Hunter(in "The Crime of All Centuries" )
• Neil Ross-Cyclops(in "The X-Men Adventure" )
• Michael Rye-Magneto(in "The Prison Plot" )
• Steve Schatzberg- Wolf-Thing (in "The Transylvanian Connection" )
• Marilyn Schreffler- Bonnie (in "A Firestar is Born" )

Crew

• Dick Tufeld- Announcer (Season 1)
• William Marshall- Announcer (Season 2)
• Ron Feinberg- Announcer (Season 3)
• Stan Lee- Narrator (Seasons 2 & 3 and added to re-reruns of Season 1)
• Alan Dinehart - Voice Director

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	13		September 12, 1981(1981-09-12)	December 5, 1981(1981-12-05)
2	3		September 18, 1982(1982-09-18)	October 2, 1982(1982-10-02)
3	8		September 17, 1983(1983-09-17)	November 5, 1983(1983-11-05)

Season 1 (1981)

No. overall	No.in season	Title	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"Triumph of the Green Goblin"	Dennis Marks	September 12, 1981(1981-09-12)
A plane crash turns Norman Osborn back into the Green Goblin, who plans to turn the entire city into goblins. Villain:Norman Osborn/Green Goblin
2	2	"The Crime of All Centuries"	Donald F. Glut	September 19, 1981(1981-09-19)
Kraven the Hunter plans to unleash a dinosaur army from the dinosaurs he obtained from theSavage Land.To make matters worse, Kraven also captures Firestar to help hatch his dinosaur eggs. Villain:Kraven the Hunter
3	3	"The Fantastic Mr. Frump!"	Christy Marx	September 26, 1981(1981-09-26)
Aunt May's unlucky friend Mr. Frump is given the power to change reality which Doctor Doom uses to his advantage. Villain:Doctor Doom
4	4	"Sunfire"	Christy Marx	October 3, 1981(1981-10-03)
Firestar falls in love withSunfireas his uncle Genju plans to hatch a fire monster. Villain(s): Genju, Fire Monster
5	5	"Swarm"	Dennis Marks	October 10, 1981(1981-10-10)
An irradiated meteor turns a group of bees into the villain Swarm, who turns Iceman, Firestar, and the rest of the city into bees. Only Spider-Man is immune. Can he find a way to stop Swarm from taking over the world? Villain:Swarm
6	6	"7 Little Superheroes"	Doug Booth	October 17, 1981(1981-10-17)
Chameleonschemes to destroy his most hated enemies: the Spider-Friends,Captain America,Doctor Strange,Sub-MarinerandShanna the Jungle Queen,by summoning them to his castle on Wolf Island and taking them down one by one. Note:Shanna the Jungle Queen is renamed fromShanna the She-Devilto avoid references to devils. Villain:Chameleon
7	7	"Video-Man"	Christy Marx	October 24, 1981(1981-10-24)
Electrocreates a villain called Videoman from an arcade machine. Villain(s):Electro,Videoman
8	8	"The Prison Plot"	Francis Feighan Jack Hanrahan	October 31, 1981(1981-10-31)
Magnetoholds the visitors of an abandoned prison hostage, demanding the release of hisBrotherhood of Mutants(consisting ofBlob,Toad,andMastermind). Villain(s): Magneto, Blob, Toad, and Mastermind
9	9	"Spidey Goes Hollywood"	Christy Marx	November 7, 1981(1981-11-07)
Mysterioforces a movie director named Sam Blockbuster to con Spider-Man into starring in a Spider-Man movie. Bruce Banner appears and ends up turning into theHulkwhen it comes to a part where Mysterio uses a robot version of Hulk in a scene. Villain: Mysterio
10	10	"The Vengeance of Loki!"	Donald F. Glut	November 14, 1981(1981-11-14)
Lokimasquerades as his half-brotherThor,and attacks New York City. When Iceman is sent to Asgard, he is saved fromSurturby the Ice Giant Zerona who Iceman helps in fighting offYmir. Villains: Loki, Surtur, Ymir
11	11	"Knights and Demons"	Donald F. Glut	November 21, 1981(1981-11-21)
Spider-Man andBlack Knightteam up to battleMordred. Villain: Mordred
12	12	"Pawns of the Kingpin"	Donald F. Glut	November 28, 1981(1981-11-28)
KingpinandDoctor Faustususe a mind control device to forceCaptain Americato commit crimes, who convincesIcemanto follow him. Villain(s): Kingpin, Doctor Faustus
13	13	"The Quest of the Red Skull"	Dennis Marks	December 5, 1981(1981-12-05)
Red Skullkidnaps Hiawatha Smith and the Spider-Friends so that they will not interfere in his plot to start World War III. Note:This episode is typically not part of any syndicated package due to its direct depictions ofAdolf Hitler,the Nazi swastika, and the use of the phrase 'Heil Hitler'. Villain: Red Skull

Season 2 (1982)

This season features the origins of all three Spider-Friends.

No. overall	No.in season	Title	Written by	Original release date
14	1	"The Origin of the Iceman"	Donald F. Glut	September 18, 1982(1982-09-18)
Videoman returns, and Iceman retells his origin as he fears he is losing his mutant powers. In a brief flashback clip, Iceman recalls meeting Professor Xavier and the original members of theX-Men(Angel, Beast, Marvel-Girl, Cyclops). Villain: Videoman
15	2	"A Fire-Star Is Born"	Christy Marx	September 25, 1982(1982-09-25)
Iceman and Firestar attend anX-Menreunion featuringCyclops,Angel,and its latest membersStormandWolverine(who oddly speaks with an Australian accent). Firestar recalls her origins, dealing with a bully named Bonnie, and being recruited into the X-Men where they fought Magneto and aSentinel.After that, theJuggernautcrashes the party in an effort to destroy his stepbrotherProfessor X. Villain: Juggernaut
16	3	"Along Came Spidey"	Donald F. Glut	October 2, 1982(1982-10-02)
ShockerinjuresAunt May,and Spider-Man recounts how he acquired his powers and dealing with theburglar who shotUncle Ben. Villain(s): Shocker, Burglar (flashback)

Season 3 (1983)

No. overall	No.in season	Title	Written by	Original release date
17	1	"Spider-Man Unmasked!"	Michael Reaves	September 17, 1983(1983-09-17)
Sandmanlearns that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. Bobby and Angelica figure out how to make his identity a secret again. Villain: Sandman
18	2	"The Bride of Dracula!"	Jack Mendelsohn	September 24, 1983(1983-09-24)
Firestar is kidnapped byDracula.Spider-Man and Iceman go toTransylvaniato rescue her, fighting both aWerewolfandFrankenstein's Monster. Villain: Dracula
19	3	"The Education of a Superhero"	Dennis Marks	October 1, 1983(1983-10-01)
A game addict is transformed into the new Videoman who decides to be a superhero while the Gamesman seeks world domination by electronically hypnotizing the public. Villain: Gamesman
20	4	"Attack of the Arachnoid"	Michael Reaves	October 8, 1983(1983-10-08)
After the Spider-Friends thwartScorpion,a chemical scientist named Zoltan Amadeus recreates Spider-Man's powers with a spider serum. He frames Spider-Man for his crimes which leads to his arrest.Matt Murdockappears as Spider-Man's lawyer. When Spider-Man ends up on Rikers Island, Scorpion stages a jailbreak to take out Spider-Man, but is defeated. After Zoltan mutates into the Arachnoid, Iceman and Firestar clear Spider-Man's name by the time he defeats Scorpion and are given the antidote to return Zoltan to normal. Villain(s): Arachnoid, Scorpion
21	5	"The Origin of the Spider-Friends"	Donald Glut	October 15, 1983(1983-10-15)
Stan Leenarrates how Spider-Man, Iceman, and Firestar first teamed-up to fight theBeetlewhen he targetedTony Stark's latest invention. Villain: Beetle
22	6	"Spidey Meets the Girl from Tomorrow"	Dennis Marks	October 22, 1983(1983-10-22)
Spidey falls in love with a stranded girl from the future, a girl named Ariel, whose spaceship has been stolen byDoctor Octopus.After Doctor Octopus is defeated, Iceman and Firestar learn that Ariel and her brother Bartow are sick. In the hospital, it is revealed that they lack immune systems. Spider-Man helps them return to the future, but Ariel's and Bartow's father returns Spider-Man to the present because he carries germs from "Old Earth". Villain: Doctor Octopus
23	7	"The X-Men Adventure"	Michael Reaves	October 29, 1983(1983-10-29)
The Spider-Friends visit the X-Mansion, teaming with the X-Men (Cyclops,Colossus,Storm,Nightcrawler,Thunderbird,Sprite,and Professor X) and battle Cyberiad. He was once Firestar's old boyfriend Nathan Price who was changed into aTharok-like cyborg in an accident caused whenA.I.M.Agents raided his laboratory. Villain: Cyberiad
24	8	"Mission: Save the Guardstar"	Dennis Marks	November 5, 1983(1983-11-05)
Buzz Mason ofS.H.I.E.L.D.hires the Spider-Friends to stop a mutant named Lightwave, who has the power to control and manipulate light energy. She turns out to be Iceman's younger half-sister, Aurora Dante (who was not mentioned in "The Origin of Ice Man" ). Though it is said that she has turned traitor and is targeting the Guardstar satellite, someone is actually mind-controlling her. Villain: Lightwave (mind-controlled by Buzz Mason)

Release

Home media

No Region 1 or other NTSC release is planned at this time.

Region 2

In April 2008, Liberation Entertainment secured the home media rights to select Marvel shows fromJetix Europein select European territories, includingSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends.On November 10, the company released the first season of the series on DVDfollowed up with a Series 2-3 setand Complete Series DVD setson November 24. These releases were distributed through Lace International, due to Liberation closing their UK branch a few weeks prior in October.The Liberation releases did not include any of the Stan Lee narrations from the first or second season. Only some of the Stan Lee narrations were in the third season.

Clear Visionlater took over European rights and re-released the series on August 2, 2010 (Season 1)and September 6, 2010 (Seasons 2 and 3)in the United Kingdom respectively, with a German release following afterwards. These newer editions have improved image qualityand include German dubbing, while removing the 5.1 audio track and English subtitles. A Complete Series release followed on February 11, 2013.

Budget distributor Walk released a small number of DVD releases in the United Kingdom containing two episodes each for sale inPoundlandstores in 2013, under the "Treat Size Introduces..." banner.

Streaming

The series was available for instant streaming viaNetflixfrom 2011 to August 2015.As part of theacquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company,the copyrights to the New World library were transferred to TFCF America, Inc., a subsidiary ofThe Walt Disney Company,effective on March 15, 2019.Consequently, the series became available on theDisney+streaming service, as a part of U.S. launch on November 12, 2019.

Censorship

The episode "The Quest of the Red Skull" was excluded due to its direct depictions of Adolf Hitler, the Nazi swastika and the phrase 'Heil Hitler'.In 2020, Disney+ placed a warning on the 3rd episode (entitled "Sunfire" ) for a racially insensitive portrayal ofSunfire.In the episode, Sunfire is portrayed as speakingEnglishwith aJapaneseaccent.

Reception

Critical response

Adam Levine ofLoopersaid: "The mutant duo became a memorable pairing for Spider-Man, and the series has been fondly remembered in the decades since for its quaint stories, colorful villains, light-hearted nature, and iconic introductions by creator Stan Lee. The animation was a step up from previous attempts, even if it was still relatively simplistic, and stories explored more of Peter Parker's personal life than the 1960s series before it".James Whitbrook ofGizmodoranked 5th in their "Spider-Man's Best Cartoons" list, writing: "The trio had an excellent dynamic that elevated Amazing beyond its sister show, and as campy as it could be, there's a reason why it remains beloved by many".

Olivia Fitzpatrick ofColliderrankedSpider-Man and His Amazing Friend3rd in their "Every 'Spider-Man' Animated Series" list.Jason Serafino ofComplexranked 25th in their "25 Best Animated Comic Book TV Shows Of All Time" list.IGNrankedSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends59th in their "Top 100 Animated Series" list, stating that "the animation was predictably budget for the time, particularly when viewed in this post-Spectacular Spider-Manworld of ours, but it was fun nonetheless ".

Impact

• Scenes fromSpider-Man and His Amazing Friendswere re-cut, edited, and re-dubbed into comical shorts as part ofDisney XD's "Marvel Mash-Up" shorts for their "Marvel Universe on Disney XD" block of programming that includesUltimate Spider-ManandThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroeswhere scenes fromSpidey and His Amazing Friendswere also mixed with some scenes from the 1981Spider-Mancartoon.The cast consists ofDave Boatas Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Beetle, Sandman, Norman Osborn, Shocker, Thor, Doctor Strange, Wolverine, Colossus, Sprite, Thunderbird, Red Skull, and Magneto,Tom Kennyas Iceman, Firestar, Aunt May, Green Goblin, Mysterio, Kraven the Hunter, Swarm, Captain America, Professor X, Nightcrawler, and Loki,J. P. Karliakas Black Cat and Bruce Banner,James Arnold Tayloras Chameleon, Captain America, Iron Man, and Cyberiad,Dee Bradley Bakeras Lizard,Jeff Bennettas Cyclops and Juggernaut, andTravis Willinghamas Storm, Ka-Zar, and Doctor Doom.
• In the 1984 filmMissing in ActionstarringChuck Norris,theSpider-Man and his Amazing Friendsepisode "Along Came Spidey" can be seen on a television.
• In her civilian identity, Angelica Jones resembles Peter's girlfriend from the comic books,Mary Jane Watson.This was played up in issues ofSpider-Man Loves Mary Janein which Firestar appeared.

Accolades

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friendswas nominated for Best Children's Television Series at the1982 Young Artist Awards.

Comic books

Adaptation

The first comic book that directly referenced theAmazing Friendsshow wasSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends#1 (December 1981), aone-shotthat adapted thepilot episode,"The Triumph of the Green Goblin". Though the comic version altered the story to bring it in line with establishedMarvel Universecontinuity (such as making the Green Goblin identity a costume as in the comics, rather than a physical transformation as in the episode), it was not considered part of said continuity. It is the first appearance of Firestar in a comics story, though the version of Firestar that exists within Marvel continuity would not appear untilUncanny X-Men#193 (May 1985).

The story was reprinted in England in late 1983 in the weeklyMarvel UKtitleSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends.It was reprinted in the U.S. asMarvel Action Universe#1 (January 1989), released to coincide with the airing ofAmazing Friendsreruns on thetelevision series of the same nameand on the 2017trade paperbackX-Men Origins: Firestar.

In the Marvel mainstream continuity, Spider-Man, Firestar and Iceman have made sporadic team-ups inAmazing X-Men#7 (July 2014) andIceman#3 (November 2018).

Firestar

The mainstream Marvel Universe version of Firestar debuted in the pages ofUncanny X-Men#193 as part ofEmma Frost's Hellions team. Firestar was given an origin story in aself-titled mini-series(March – June 1986). The character went on to be a founding member of theNew Warriors,and later a member of theAvengers.

One change to Firestar from the TV show to the comic books was her powers. In the cartoon, they were fire based. However, Marvel had a number of characters who could control and/or create fire, so they changed her mutant ability to the power to emit and control microwave energy.

Amazing Friends2006

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the show, Marvel releasedSpider-Man Family: Amazing Friends#1 on August 9, 2006. The comic starts with an all-new story, "Opposites Attack", which is officially set beforeWeb of Spider-Man#75. After that is a Mini Marvel tale, "Spider-Man And His AmazingFriendsCo-Workers "(note that thestrikethroughof "Friends" was a deliberate inclusion in the title). Both stories were written bySean McKeever.

The remainder of the one-shot is composed of reprints ofUntold Tales of Spider-Man#2 andSpider-Man 2099#2.

Ultimate Spider-Man

An arc inUltimate Spider-Manis titled "Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends" and issue #118's cover, showing Spider-Man, Iceman, and Firestar, is a homage to the series title screen.Johnny StormandKitty Prydeare also said to be members of the team. Instead of Angelica Jones, Firestar isLiz Allan.Since then, inUltimate Comics: Spider-Man,Spidey, Iceman, and the Human Torch have begun living together at Aunt May's house and have been working as a team as another homage to the series (because Liz, as Firestar, was a member of theX-Men in this continuity;this team roster also reflects the original intent ofAmazing Friendsto use the Human Torch before licensing issues forced the creation of Firestar).

Amazing Friendsin-continuity?

In 2007'sOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe—Spider-Man: Back in Blackone-shot, the villain Videoman is given a brief biography from his "retcon" appearance in theSpider-Man Familyone-shot. There is also an annotation describing an "Earth 8107", where an alternate reality Videoman was created by Electro to battle that world's Spider-Man. Later, in the same reality, Francis Byte is mutated by an exploding arcade console to become a new Videoman, and later "possibly" join the X-Men. Essentially, this places the events ofSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends— or at the very least, the episodes "Videoman" and "The Education of a Superhero" — in an alternate-Earth continuity of theMarvel Comics Multiverse.

Spider-Verse

The Spider-Friends of Earth-1983 (described as a "kinder, gentler than most" world), except for Ms. Lion, are apparently killed by a dimension-hoppingMorlun,set on draining the life out of every variation of Spider-Man across themultiverse.

Iceman2018

At the "Street Cart Named Desire Festival", Peter sees Angelica, but doesn't seem to recognize her when explaining to Mary Jane that she's the only redhead that he's interested in. Bobby and Angelica briefly catch up before returning to their dates which are then interrupted by an ice monster attack. Iceman, Firestar, and Spider-Man suit up and defeat the attacker together. The team-up is called "Iceman and His amazing Friends" both on the issue's cover and by Iceman in the story. Afterward, the trio chat and Angelica and Bobby commiserate about men on dating apps.

External links

• Disney+ page
• Spider-Man and His Amazing FriendsatIMDb